The Texarkana Police Department has successfully solved a 10-year-old cold case with the arrest of 27-year-old Cameron Cheatham for the murder of 25-year-old Xavier Rollins.
Rollins was found shot to death outside an apartment in the 1000 block of College Drive late on June 17, 2014. Following the incident, detectives quickly discovered that all initial leads were dead ends, and the investigation became increasingly challenging over the years.
Rollins was a 2006 graduate of Arkansas High School and had served in the military for six years. This past June, on the 10th anniversary of his death, his mother hosted a prayer vigil to honor his memory. She described her son as a gentle peacekeeper who loved his family.
Despite the elapsed time, the police never ceased their efforts to solve the murder. Detective Thomas Shaddix, who had been revisiting the cold case for several months, learned about advancements in DNA evidence testing that were not available at the time of the original investigation. He reached out to the Texas Attorney General's Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit for assistance.
Through a federal grant program from the Department of Justice, the Attorney General's Office provided critical resources, including expedited forensic testing. This new evidence ultimately led to the identification of Cheatham as the suspect in the case.
Detective Shaddix obtained a warrant for Cheatham on charges of Capital Murder. Fortunately for investigators, Cheatham was located easily as he was already incarcerated in the Bi-State Jail due to a felony probation violation warrant from September. Following the new charge, Cheatham's bond was set at $1 million.
